Oklahoma City 87
AZUSA, Calif.-- They always say that in a good game, the last team with the ball will win, but usually from a shot in the flow of play.
This time however, it came from the free throw line and capped what turned out be the longest and probably most stunning half second in some time.
Junior Alyssa Ferdaszewski hit the first of 2 free throw attempts with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift the NAIA’s No. 15-ranked Azusa Pacific to an 88-87 win over No. 11 Oklahoma City Wednesday on the opening night of the 2004 GSAC Challenge in Azusa.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 10-2 overall. Oklahoma City, which has won 4 of the past 6 NAIA championships, falls to 9-3.
For the most part, the game pitting 2 of the NAIA’s Top 15 teams was entertaining, but everyone got their moneys worth in the final minute. After Natasha Doh hit the second of 2 free throws to give Oklahoma City its largest lead of the night (85-82) with just 53 seconds to play, Kelsey Hudson buried her second trey just 12 seconds later to tie the game at 85-85. After a steal by Sarah Leathers with 25 seconds left, the Cougars held for the final possession when Hudson broke loose on the baseline and converted an lay-up off an assist by Monica Somers to give the Cougars an 87-85 lead with 3.7 seconds to go.
The Stars raced down, and Necy DeVance was able to draw a foul just inside the 3-point line as time expired. The officials put 0.5 seconds back on the clock, and DeVance tied the game with a pair of free throws. On the ensuing out-of-bounds play and with overtime knocking at the door, Hudson fired a full-court pass to a wide open Ferdaszewski, who was able to draw a foul of her own as she caught the ball and as the final buzzer sounded.
Again, the officials added 0.3 seconds to the clock. Ferdaszewski hit the first before purposely missing the second. However, Lindsey West, who was seeing her first action in more than a month, grabbed her tenth offensive rebound to seal the win.
“I look at our team, and nobody can stop just one person,” said Azusa Pacific head coach Danelle Liles. “If teams key on one person, someone else steps up. They never give up. Basketball is a game of runs. They had their runs, and we had our runs, but we never gave up. We’re playing well, but we’re not hitting our peak yet.”
The Cougars led by 12 (44-32) at halftime, but saw their comfortable margin slip away in the final 20 minutes. They led by 9 (57-48) with 14:03 to play when the Stars used a 10-1 run capped by a lay-up by Doh to tie the game at 58-58 with 11:44 to play. At that point, the Cougars seemingly resumed control with a 13-6 run keyed by 3 field goals and a free throw by West to take a 71-64 lead with 7:06 to play. Again, though, the Stars whittled away at the deficit with a 14-6 run capped again by a Doh lay-up to give the Stars a 78-77 lead with 2:40 to play. It was their first lead since early in the game.
At that point, the lead then changed hands 6 more times in the final 2 minutes.
Oklahoma City’s Sadio Sangare’ led all players with 30 points. Doh finished with 13 points and 4 assists.
West led the Cougars with 18 points and 11 rebounds (10 offensive). Hudson finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Somers added 16 points and 6 assists, and Leathers added 13 points, 7 rebounds and a trio of 3-pointers. The Cougars out-rebounded the Stars, 58-36, collecting 29 offensive rebounds.
“We did a great job crashing the boards, and that was key,” said Liles. “We gave them fits on the glass. They had a hard time blocking us out. Getting Lindsey back was a huge lift for us, and she wasn’t even in her zone in the first half. She just came out and had fun. It wasn’t her best game, but she was huge.”
